Amaranthine
by nerfherder-han
Summary: Liar. Faker. Sham. So many words weighed her down, reminded her of the false life she lived for the sake of comfort and convenience. But just once, even when everything starts to fall apart, she just wants to be Narumi.


**"Ren, what in the fresh hell is this?"**

**lol I'm so glad you asked, my guy. I've been working away at stockpiling chapters for Scout and working on the fights for Runner Ups (you can see progress updates on my profile for them now!) but while editing Scout and making sure everything fit right, I kept hitting road blocks and tried to keep writing with _something_ to stop myself from getting into a rut - and that was how Amaranthine was born! I worked on this in between editing and writing for other stuff, and it's basically a canon/oc story because ya boi is a gremlin who breathes that shit.**

**I dunno when Amaranthine would be updated compared to everything else, since it's something I'm working on to keep from getting blocks or when I get stuck on other things, so for now we've got this chapter and a poll on my profile for y'all who wanna have a say in who Narumi gets shipped with. Next time you guys hear from me, it'll be in a Scout update!**

* * *

"You're going to go out today," she told her reflection, "and you're going to go to school."

The only reply she got was the sound of running tap water. Steam from the shower still fogged most of the mirror, but even with the partially obscured view she could see the bags under her eyes and the urge to go back to bed.

"You're going to your club," she went on. "You're going to smile and say you had a cold. You're going to be a productive member of society."

She flexed her hands and sucked in a deep breath. She quickly gathered water from the tap and splashed some on her face; it was a useless action, considering she'd just finished drying her hair and was supposed to be brushing her teeth.

"Most of all," she said finally, "you're going to be _happy_ about it."

_Liar_. _You're going to hate every second of it._

She pouted at her reflection. She pulled out her toothbrush and, with the other hand, messed up the fog on the mirror even more. Why did she even bother with this pep talk anymore? It wasn't like she ever listened to herself, and at the end of the day the lies came easy. She just had to smile and nod with the assumptions she liked, and then go about her business as usual.

Ah, but doing that had resulted in her latest dilemma. Not that it harmed her in any way—if anything, it kept a more harmful, truer rumour from breaking out in a private school full of snobby rich kids. It got her allowance raised, at least. But it was a dumb move on her part.

_Moron_.

Yeah. She was a moron. She was far from ready for a relationship again when it happened, but getting rid of a rumour once you start it yourself, even if unintentionally, was a lot harder than just nodding and hoping it spread to the point of no longer being questioned.

At least the members of the track team never gossipped as much as her classmates did.

The sun was barely rising when she locked her apartment and set forth for Fujimi Academy. This was how things were meant to be, she told herself. It was easier to go along with everything and pretend to be something she wasn't. Being a liar was better than being an outcast, and Uratsuka Narumi knew far too much about being an outcast. She knew what it did to people who thrived from the affection of others. Knew how it destroyed them. It was hard to get the image of someone at their lowest out of your head, not when their lowest had dragged you down along the way.

She faltered. Narumi stumbled as the thought passed her by, too depressing for this time of day. Any longer on the memory and she'd be likely to run back home, hide under her covers, and pretend she still had a cold.

_Moron_, came the admonishment again. It was much more playful, far from her own scolding.

She walked a little faster, desperate to drown out the affection with something more demanding.

* * *

She gave a weak wave as she approached her locker. Very few other members of the girls' track team were present, but there were enough to notice the missing teammate finally arrive. Most of the girls changing were third-years, the captain of the team and her vice captain discussing upcoming events. Narumi never really kept track of which specific events were coming up—she just knew she'd been running, and she never had anything stopping her from attending anything.

It was one of the underclassmen who greeted her, already dressed and actually excited to see her. Narumi was by no means the star of the track team, but she wouldn't deny that she got called upon more often than other members.

Kawamoto was bright-eyed and small, but she had a speed to her that Narumi knew would make her an excellent runner once the third-years graduated. "Senpai, you're back!"

The captain looked up from her clipboard and gave Narumi a once-over. She smiled, pleased at the attendance, and waved before turning back to leave the lockers for their teacher's attention. Although Narumi wasn't pleased to have the supervising teacher notified this early of her arrival, she was thankful she didn't have to do it herself.

"Sorry I was gone for so long," Narumi lied through her teeth. She quickly opened her locker and began to change. "I had a cold for a while there."

The locker beside her own slammed shut. Narumi flinched. With a wary gaze, she found the girl next to her giving her a lazy once-over—far from the pleased appraisal the captain had given her.

Miku Yuuki simply crossed her arms in front of her chest, tracksuit unzipped partially, and Narumi had to avert her gaze as fast as possible. _Liar_, she admonished herself.

"It's Spring," Yuuki drawled. Narumi's brows knitted together as she went about her usual routine as normal. When she didn't acknowledge Yuuki's observation, Yuuki went on, "Who gets a cold during the springtime?"

"Urastuka-senpai had a bad cough last time I saw her!" another underclassman piped up. Taniuchi, with her dark hair tied in their usual braided pigtails, was red in the face as she stood up to Yuuki. It brought the barest of smiles to Narumi's lips, but it wasn't necessary. Yuuki was the only one to ever question her stories, anyway; as long as the captain believed it, she was fine.

"I guess I'm just that unlucky," Narumi sighed. Yuuki clicked her tongue and sauntered past. Not another word came from her, the girl simply adjusting her headband as she left the room for the track. More than likely, the boys' team was waiting for her so they could do their own thing before practice started.

Narumi zipped up her own jersey and clipped back her bangs. The lavender colouring on one was already starting to fade; she'd have to stop by a convenience store on the way home for a new set. There were some cute ones with little fruit decals, but no way would they get past the captain.

Kawamoto and Taniuchi were eagerly waiting for her to finish getting ready, giggling among themselves over Yuuki's reaction. It was like a show for the underclassmen at this point, the way their senpais passive aggressively danced around each other. It wasn't exactly Narumi's fault this tended to happen. She didn't think it was, at least—Yuuki just started getting particular when it came to Narumi one day, though she was particular with everyone.

She wasn't in the mood to ponder it today. It wasn't like they were friends, anyway. Not getting along with Yuuki perfectly wasn't exactly a loss for Narumi.

"Were you okay on your own, senpai?" Taniuchi asked. Narumi nodded.

"It's not my first rodeo," she told the girls. "The neighbours check on me anyway."

_Liar_.

"My parents would never trust me to stay home on my own," Kawamoto whined. They laughed to themselves. Another assumption that she let people make—the assumption she was trusted on her own. She was far from considered trustworthy to her parents. They barely gave her an allowance until recently, when another rumour had made its way back to them. Parents talked, and even working overseas wasn't enough to disrupt the circle of parents whose children attended Fujimi.

There were already some boys out on the track with the girls, and it was brighter than when she'd come inside. Narumi fixed her jersey as best she could. Soon she could ignore everything and just focus on the track, and then classes would take up all her attention. No more wandering thoughts, no more effort needed to pretend she was a competent human being.

No sooner had she and her underclassmen exited the lockers, walking for the track where the rest of the team was, their supervising teacher called out, "Uratsuka, a word."

There was a smirk Yuuki made that always told Narumi how much trouble she was in. Today she made such a smirk, curling her short hair around her finger as she leaned on one of the boys trying to chat with the vice captain of the girls' team. Narumi held her breath, counted to five, and turned towards the teacher.

She walked briskly to meet with Shido on the outskirts of the track. He had a disappointed look on his face, the kind of look that practically screamed that he was well aware she lied about her cold. That he'd already inquired about her to her parents and neighbours and found out the truth.

Crap.

"G—Good morning, sensei," she tried. Shido was having none of it. She counted her blessings that he wasn't loud when he scolded people, not like Teshima tended to be.

"Uratsuka," he said sternly, "where have you been this past week?"

Narumi swallowed thickly. "At home."

"Is there any reason why you haven't been at school at all?"

"I was… sick," she mumbled. Shido furrowed his brows at her. He wasn't buying it. As gross as it made her feel to use this excuse on the male teachers, it was her last resort. "I mean, I was… _sick_-sick. Y'know?"

He looked her up and down slowly. It felt invasive, and she should've been used to such scrutiny by now from him, but Narumi found more and more with each interaction with the man that he was hard to get used to. There was just something… off about him. He was always so meek and professional with his students, from what she heard, but the Shido she saw during track was far from it. He was stern, he berated her with less care than she'd expect, and he always dug deeper for answers when he wasn't satisfied.

Even now, he seemed to be digging. But what physical, visible symptoms could he look for? It wasn't like he could tell from a glance, let alone in this track uniform, that she'd been lying about having cramps for the past week.

Finally he gave in. He pushed his glasses up his nose and shooed her away, reminding her to collect any work she'd missed from her classmates and such. She let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding, and wasted no time joining her teammates again. She wanted this day to be over, and the sun was barely even in the sky yet.

Track was easy. All she had to do was run and run and run. She never had to focus on anything else but the burning of muscles and the strain on her lungs. Narumi could just _cease_ for a while, pretend she wasn't herself. Pretend she wasn't who she wanted everyone else to see. Pretend to be who she used to, before everything got shitty and she had to start from scratch.

Just running, no thinking. It helped her prepare to face the day, she found.

It was only an hour or so out of her day to be herself, but it was better than nothing. Sometimes she just needed to blow off steam on the track field instead of wallowing under the covers at home. She needed to get some groceries on the way home today, anyway, so being seen skipping school would've gotten her allowance docked again. No amount of being what her parents expected would save her, then. Things could've been worse, she supposed; she could've still been going to the same school as everyone who brought her down.

Narumi was out of breath by the time practice was done. She silently slowed to a stop along with everyone else, sipped from her water bottle as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Yuuki had stopped running a while ago, cosying up to Tsunoda as they discussed an upcoming event. Once upon a time, Narumi used to be asked to weigh in on competitions Shido had signed them up for, but now they only deigned to tell her meaningless news.

News like, "Hey, Uratsuka, your boyfriend finally showed up."

She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. They weren't teasing her, there was no need to act like she was being jabbed with the remark. To anyone who asked in Fujimi, she really was dating him. Yuuki snickered to herself as Tsunoda's ears turned red; his anger for the day seemed to be growing, as it always did whenever Narumi's boyfriend was brought up. She shuddered to think how much that anger would escalate if they found out the whole relationship was a sham. A mutual agreement between the two teens.

Not that they'd ever let it slip. Narumi had a reputation to keep for the sake of her own reassurance, and the guy had a goal when he'd asked her to "date" him. What reason was there to let the cat out of the bag?

He had to have heard Yuuki's remark; he was standing stock still in the middle of the entrance, staring tiredly in their direction as other students ambled past him. One hand in his pocket, the other holding his bag over his shoulder, he slouched and showed no signs of moving even as Narumi finally met his gaze. She sent a meek wave his way, earning more snickers from Yuuki and her friends, and he merely nodded and continued on his way.

More than likely, she'd have to skip class just to find him and see what he wanted. He never really stopped to look for her unless he wanted to talk.

"A match made in heaven," Yuuki went on. "Who would've thought Uratsuka and Komuro would wind up together, huh?"

_Now_ she was teasing her. Had Narumi the wit needed to reply, she would. But for now she had classes to go to and homework to collect. Tonight was going to be a sleepless night if more than a couple of assignments were due, and she wasn't about to waste much-needed braincells on comebacks she'd more than likely stumble over anyway.

Narumi tried not to sigh as she made her way back to the locker room. Maybe getting out of bed was a bad idea.

* * *

"Oh."

His seat was empty. She wasn't sure why she expected otherwise. The two people he wanted to avoid the most were in the classroom, anyway; it would've made more sense for her to look for him anywhere but here.

Then again, she couldn't deny her own interest in some members of 2-B. Everyone had a story, and even those whose stories were uninteresting still made for a nice sight. The chubby guy towards the front of the class, always hunched over and hiding behind his glasses, may not have had much to say—but to Narumi he was squishy, reminded her of those old cartoon plushies she used to love. Sometimes her inner old lady took over and dared to wonder how pinchable his cheeks were.

Or the girl with the pink hair, always wearing a scowl and studying away while everyone talked. She never even spared a glance for Narumi, not since her appearances in the classroom became regular, but there was a cuteness to her that Narumi couldn't help admiring. She always did have a weakness for girls with longer hair.

_You want to ruin her life, too?_

She kicked herself in the ankle and looked towards the back of the classroom. Now was not the time to indulge in guilty pleasures. She had a "boyfriend" to look for right now.

Miyamoto Rei, the target behind her accomplice's motives, was leaning against a desk belonging to one Igou Hisashi. Narumi wasn't sure when they'd started dating, but she knew that it hadn't been long before Takashi had proposed his idea to her. Seeing the happy couple, it always made Narumi and Takashi seem almost petty; but now it felt routine. The fact that these two got along so well and clearly adored each other just made hiding a whole lot easier for Narumi, provided Takashi remained content with hoping Rei would get jealous.

Rei, who only had eyes for someone admittedly more charismatic than Takashi. Had Narumi been given a choice, had she been positively ready for a relationship after her last, she would've chosen Hisashi over Takashi too.

She kicked herself again. There was enough force behind the kick to make her bump the door, and suddenly half of the classroom was watching her as they chatted and ate their lunches.

"Oh, Uratsuka-san!" Rei greeted. She waved Narumi inside, and like the weak-willed girl she was Narumi obeyed. "Are you looking for Takashi?"

Narumi couldn't make eye contact with her. Talking to Rei and Hisashi on her own just made her more and more aware that she was a big, fat liar. At least Takashi being around gave her an excuse to be focused on something else.

_Sham_.

"Yeah…" She glanced at his empty desk. It didn't look like it had even been touched today. "I saw him this morning, but…"

Hisashi rocked back and forth in his chair. "Where would he be this time?" he wondered aloud.

"Third floor?" Rei tried.

"No, he got caught there last week. He wouldn't go back just yet." Hisashi looked to Narumi. "He hasn't found anywhere new, has he? He tends to spend more time around those before shaking things up."

She learned that early. She'd spent a week waiting for him behind one supply shed, only to find out he'd found a new crevice to hide in during classes that teachers were unaware of.

"Wherever he is," Rei sighed, "tell him he needs to come to class everyone once in a while. Hisashi and I keep getting grilled about where he is lately."

_Like I'd make a difference_.

"Sure thing," Narumi lied.

"Oh, while you're here," Rei went on, "there was an upperclassman who stopped by and said you were sick. Are you feeling better now?"

An upperclassman…? Narumi didn't remember telling an upperclassman—

Ah. Yasu. They lived right next to each other, of course Yasu would notice whether or not Narumi had left the house by the time she made her way to school. For all the exposing her parents and Yasu's father had done, telling Shido she probably didn't have a cold, Yasu still had her back at least. Even if Yasu hated having to go to the second-year classrooms and inform some guy she barely knew about his fake girlfriend's fake sickness.

"I'm better now," she continued to lie. "I just need to catch up with everything now."

"Do your best," the couple told her.

She closed the door to 2-B behind her and frowned. She had to stop by the third floor and thank Yasu now, which meant less time to look for Takashi and ask what he wanted. Today was going to be a pain and she was barely halfway through it. She hadn't even eaten yet, for crying out loud.

Just a little longer, she told herself. Then she could go home and mope all she wanted. Besides, she was going to check the roof anyway and the third floor was on her way.

It wouldn't take her long to find Yasu. The stairway closest to Narumi's classroom was also the closest to Yasu's, so it was just a quick trip up and down whenever the two had to ask each other something. Sometimes Yasu would come down and give her the bits of her lunch she wasn't fond of, and sometimes when Narumi didn't have to go early, she'd deliver a message from Yasu's father who'd missed the chance to tell her that morning. Yasu wasn't even fond of eating outside either, so she'd sit in the classroom and pass the time however she saw fit.

Except for today, it seemed. Just as Narumi had made it to the third floor, Yasu was sneaking out of the classroom with her bento tucked under her arm and her shoes in her hands. She _really_ didn't want her classmates hearing her leave, from the looks of her. Her socks slid a little against the floor, but she was quick to adapt and creep towards the stairwell. It didn't take the older girl long to notice Narumi staring at her.

Normally Yasu wouldn't go outdoors to eat—her condition made it hard for her, burning too easily and getting intense migraines thanks to her albinism and photophobia. Frankly, it was a miracle she saw Narumi as soon as she had. Yasu was a walking myriad of eye problems wrapped in pale hair and skin that burned to the point of blistering on a mildly sunny day. So seeing her try to flee like she was made Narumi raise a brow at her.

Yasu barely even flinched when Narumi sternly said, "Yacchan, where are you going?"

The nickname was enough to make Yasu fidget guiltily. She'd never liked it at first, but Yasu always seemed to act a little softer whenever it was used.

"Gonna eat my lunch," Yasu said vaguely.

"Outside?"

"I mean… I was considerin' it…"

Narumi sighed. It was enough to make Yasu bristle and try to defend herself.

"Hey, sometimes I need a change of scenery!" She jabbed a finger at her classroom. "And it gets so suffocating in there, always being asked if I need the blinds closed for a while!"

She rolled her eyes at the albino. There were easier ways to get people to stop annoying you with their genuine concerns than by running off. But explaining that to Yasu wouldn't go over too well, not with her stubborn streak. Besides, much like Narumi, Yasu had a reputation to keep up. If she acted like her usual self all of a sudden, no one would think she was fragile and in need of help all the time. Narumi couldn't tell what she saw in being treated like that, but to each their own she supposed.

_Except for you._

Except for Narumi, she agreed.

She looked at Yasu again, and finally noticed the hoodie tied around her waist. At least she came prepared for an escape, so a sudden rush to the nurse's office wasn't in order.

"Your glass—"

Yasu pulled a pair of tinted glasses from her seifuku. "Already ahead of you. Chill out, Naru-chi."

At Yasu's playful wink, Narumi pouted and blushed. Sure, she used the cutesy nickname for Yasu, but being called one of her own was embarrassing as hell. Who knew how many people would use it teasingly once they found out?

"Whatever," Narumi tried to scoff. Unlike Yasu, she wasn't exactly good at the hot and cold act. "Have you seen Komuro today?"

Yasu's smile fell into a scowl. She flicked open the glasses and slid them onto her face in a single, swift movement. "Dunno," she drawled. "Who cares?"

"Me. Did you see where he went?"

"Prolly. But why do you need to see him? It's not like he's got anything exciting goin' on."

Narumi glared at her. Yasu scowled even more and began putting her shoes on.

"I'm serious, Narumi," Yasu went on. Even as she was half-bent over, trying to put her shoes back on properly, she was looking down at Narumi with a frown. "I don't know what makes you think hangin' around him is a good idea. You're miserable and he's not exactly sending good vibes your way."

"To be fair, I'm not sending any either—"

"Shaddup. He's butthurt because some girl wouldn't go out with him. You're different."

_Not really_. Narumi was still in her funk because of a girl, after all. She was pretty sure she wasn't coming out of that funk for a while, too, so a distraction was perfect for her.

Her distraction just happened to be a sulky guy who was, as Yasu put it, butthurt because a girl wouldn't go out with him.

Narumi opened her mouth to argue, but Yasu was right in front of her then; fingers pinched at her cheeks, stopping Narumi in her tracks and pulling her up as Yasu scolded her. It wasn't a serious scolding—anything involving Yasu pinching something was never serious, she'd learned.

"Stop lumping yourself with him," Yasu told her. "Go get yourself a real boyfriend. Or a girlfriend—I've seen how some of your club members look at you, _senpai_."

"Shaddup," Narumi weakly tried. Yasu laughed at her and pinched her cheek harder. "Take your own advice, _senpai_."

Yasu reached with her other hand and pinched the other cheek. "Oh! Naru-chi has some bite today! I should buy a lottery ticket or something and test my luck—"

A third-year called down the hall, "Kurosawa-san."

The voice was smooth and husky, and Narumi went stiff at the sound of it. She'd heard the voice plenty of times before, and she always did her best to hide away from the gaze of this particular upperclassman. She didn't consider a lot of girls intimidating, not even in the bad sense. But this girl… Well, Narumi couldn't be blamed for being intimidated by her when she was everything people associated with classic beauty.

_Liar._

No, that wasn't why she was put off by Busujima Saeko. Plenty of supermodels looked like her and Narumi never had a problem going to idol shows with girls prettier than Saeko. It was the air about her that brought back memories, memories she wasn't ready to face. When would she even be ready to face them? It'd already been two years since she and Sakura had parted, but every little thing that reminded her of Sakura set her into flight mode.

Things like Saeko's traditional beauty reminding her of Sakura's wish to study classical literature, Japanese history and the like.

Yasu let go of Narumi's cheeks so fast that she practically felt them hit her gums. Narumi rubbed her face, whining, as Yasu turned to face Saeko. The dark-haired girl approached at a casual pace, expression unreadable even as she got closer.

Yasu clicked her tongue and muttered, "Too slow."

As soon as Saeko was close enough to hear her, her tune changed. "Busujima-san, hello! What brings you down by my classroom?"

Saeko wasn't as chipper as Yasu was trying to be. "I'd like to talk with you for a moment. It concerns personal matters."

The glance she threw at Narumi made the smaller girl want to crawl into a hole and never come out again.

Yasu nodded and leaned on Narumi's shoulder. "I see, I see. I was just about to head out and have some lunch. Mind if we take a rain check?"

"I'm happy to talk while you eat."

"I see, I see."

There was a beat of silence, neither girl making a move as Narumi waited to be freed from the situation. Why did Yasu have to always lean on her when she wanted someone to bail her out? She knew that Narumi would help her, but standing up to someone like Saeko and distracting her was just impossible.

Except when it wasn't.

Yasu removed herself from Narumi's shoulder, and as soon as Saeko made a move to follow a hand roughly shoved at Narumi's back. Narumi was sent flying forward, eyes wide and brain drawing blanks as she watched Saeko—and the floor—rapidly approach. All she could hear was the sound of Yasu running for the stairs, calling behind her, "I owe you one, Naru-chi!"

She shouldn't have ruled out a trip to the nurse so soon. She hadn't counted on herself being the one who'd need it instead of Yasu.

Just as she was sure she was about to hit the ground, a pair of slender hands grabbed her and stopped her fall. Narumi didn't dare move in case she was dropped, and even as Saeko stood her back upright she still couldn't even muster a twitch.

"Honestly," Saeko sighed, more to herself than to Narumi. "That girl…"

Narumi was left all on her own as Saeko pursued. For all of two minutes she stood there, rooted to the spot, as her brain slowly caught up with the events that had just transpired. And when it did, she only knew one thing: Yasu owed her _bigtime._

* * *

She found him on the roof. He was laying in the sun, arms tucked under his head, and he didn't have a single care in the world. Narumi glared down at him. While she was collecting favours from Yasu, she may as well have added Takashi to her list too.

She kicked his side lightly, startling him out of sleep. He let out a half-surprised snort and cringed when he looked directly into the sun. Idiot, she thought to herself.

"What?" he groaned. He rolled onto his side and began falling back to sleep. Narumi kicked him again, harder this time. "Ugh—what?"

"A date."

Takashi looked over his shoulder at her, brows furrowed. "What about a date?"

"Take me on a date."

"Why should I?"

She dropped to her knees beside him and began rocking him back and forth. She wanted today to be over already! Why did she get out of bed? School was the worst and people were a close second!

"I wanna do something better than school!" she whined as she continued to shove him back and forth. "You're supposed to be my boyfriend, treat me like a princess already! We never do anything but just hang out when you skip classes!"

Takashi swatted at her. "Stop! _Stop_!"

"No! Take me on a date!"

"So annoying!" He sat up and gave her a shove. It wasn't enough to push her away, but it was enough to make her stop and glare at him. This was how half of their conversations went, after all. Narumi would pester him about something, get more than a mopey answer if she could, and he'd push her away either emotionally or physically. It all depended on their mood and how tired they were, honestly.

"What did you even want today if you're so annoyed?" she scoffed. Takashi gave her a glare of his own. It didn't last as long, melting away into something more akin to a sulk.

_Here we go_. Narumi rolled her eyes before he so much as said a word.

"If you're so upset about not getting results," she sighed, "maybe put a little more initiative into it. I may not have anything to lose here, but I'm at least trying to help, y'know."

"What? By getting me to buy you things?"

"_Yes_. And invite Miyamoto and Igou, while you're at it. You can't exactly make her jealous if she can't see what she's missing."

Takashi scrunched up his face at her. He was silent, stared at her almost in contemplation. And then he was laying back down, back towards her as though telling her to drop the subject.

Narumi was starting to think Yasu was right.

"What do you even get out of this?" Takashi moped. "You said there wasn't anyone you wanted to make jealous. Didn't say anything about what you wanted."

She sucked in a deep breath. With a heavy sigh, Narumi turned away from him and rolled back onto her feet. Sure, there was no one here she wanted to make jealous. No one anywhere she wanted to make jealous. But there were things she missed, at times—things like fingers carding through her hair, the soft squeeze of a hand holding her own, the stolen glances at any given moment. Things she'd never get with Takashi, for sure; things she could say were never supposed to happen, were just her imagination.

Narumi chewed her lip and fixed her skirt. She pulled her stockings up and did her best not to sound too disappointed by his disinterest. "I just wanted a distraction," she told him. Takashi didn't move. "Not a lot of things help keep my mind off of things lately. I just needed something that would let me stop for a while."

To make her forget Sakura's hands yanking at her hair violently. To make her forget her fingers being crushed under Sakura's heel. To make her forget the sheer amount of venom Sakura had looked at her with after she'd come back from the hospital.

Some days it worked. Some days it didn't. But most days she'd know when it would be most troublesome to ignore.

_You did this to me. I was put through all of that because of you._

"Whatever," she sighed. She began walking for the stairway, all hope of a better distraction lost. "Enjoy your nap. I've got homework to catch up on."

She made it down the first two steps before she heard him call out. It was faint, defeated, but it was a response she'd been hoping for: "Fine! We'll go to the movies or something if it'll get you to stop."

"It won't," Narumi called back, still descending, "and you're buying my food."

His annoyed groan was music to her ears.


End file.
